Dental instruments



Jan. 12, 1965 A. R. T. BARNES DENTAL INSTRUMENTS Filed June 14, 1961 mi l..

Y ble tube from being sharply bent or kinked in 3,164,904 BENTAL INSTRUMENTS Alonzo Rey Trevaiinn Barnes, M9 Trysuii Road,

Eradmere, Woiverhampton, ingianri Filed June 114i, 196i, Ser. No. 117,l74

Claimsprinrity, appiication Great Eritain, uiy 13, wat),

. 24,433/6ti 2 Claims. (Cl. 32m-69) The invention relates to' dental instruments and is more particularly concerned'with so-called Dentists mirrors.

Such mirrors generally compriseA an elongated handle carrying a small mirror arranged at an oblique angle to the ength of the handle so that it can be passed into the patients mouth and the patients teeth viewed. When a dentist is working on a patients teeth, for instance inserting 'a filling or scaling, the surface of the mirror tends to become covered with material obscuring the dentists View. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved dent `tists mirror in which this risk is eliminated or reduced.

The invention provides a dentists mirror in which v means are provided for directinga spray or other `flow of fluid (eg. water) vover the surface of themirror theref by tovremove by a lwashing action matter collected or deposited thereon in use.

' Preferably said means Avcomprise a fluid-flow `passage extending along the length of .the handle and leading to an `outlet directing theiiuid-ow across the surface of the mirror. w

Preferablythe dentistsmirror comprises valve means for controlling the flow of fluid to the outlet, Vsaid valve means being such thatfwhen the mirror is held in one hand, the user can operate the valve means with that hand while maintaining his hold on the mirror.

` One specific construction ofa dentists mirror ernbody-V The fitting'l is tubular .and is provided with an external flange 1S which is clamped between the web of the cap nut 14 and the end of the handle l2. The fitting 13 is formed with a tubular nipple 16 which receives an end of a exible rubber or plastic tube 17 which passes through the handle and is connected to la convenient source of fluid, eg. water. A thick walled rubber sleeve 18 is passed United Statesv Patent O vice Y a t oval shaped hole through it. lThe anvil 31 and the tube i7 pass through the hole 30.V The outer end of the valve member 32 is flared and shaped to provide a finger depression 33 and the other end passes into a cap-shaped member `34 secured to the Wall of the handle i2. A compression spring 35 is interposed lbetween thecap member 34 y and the valve member 32 and acts to urge the valve member 32 towards the anvil 31. The spring 35 is selected so that it provides suiiicient force to clamp the tube 17 over the other end of the handle 12 and prevents the iiexia manner which .would interrupt the iiuid tiow.

The `free end of the tapering fitting i3 'iscounterbored and internally threaded to receive an end of a cranked rod 2l carrying the mirror 22. The mirror is of convent or head 28 solderedto the rod 21'. The bore 27 in the sphere directs a jet or spray of fluid onto the portion of the mirror adjacent the rod. v Y

Flow of fluid through the flexible tube 17 is controlled by a valve means. These means vcomprise an` anvil 31 secured to the internal wall of the handle l2 and presenttube 17 normall'yrests.` A valve member 32 passesfradially through the-handle and has an velongated generally tional construction and comprises .a mirror-dise 23 mounting a slightly concave profile against which the flexible i against the anvil 3i and to prevent fluidiiow. To permit` fluid flow the dentist places a finger in the finger depression 33 and moves the valve member radially across the l handle against the spring 35. The flexible tube 17 is then permittedto expand and fluid passes therethrough to the radial bore 27m the sphere 2S and is directed against the n surface of the mirror. Consequently if in use of the instrument 11 any matter falls on t0 the mirror, for eX- ample particles of tilling or scale, lthe dentist can wash it off by operating the valve means. This `can either be done actually in the patients mouth in. which case Vthe water can be removed by a simple suction device, such as a` suction hook of they kind commonly used by dentists, or the mirror can momentarily be removed Vfrom the patients mouth. l

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing example. For instance, water may be conveyed to the mirror by a separate tube secured to the handleto eX- tendalong its length. t

1Q A dentists'mirror comprising a mirror, an elongated hollow, tubular `structure having a transversely Voperable valve means, a collapsible supply tube in the said structure passing through the valve means, a one-piece removable lhead having an internal bore, and fitting on said elongated structure for the reception of cleaning fluid supplied through the collapsible supply tube, a nipple on the head through which nipple the bore passes and which nipple Vis located internally of the said structure, the collapsible supply tube being detachably attached to the nipple, a cranked rod' one end of which is iittedin the bore and the other end of which cranked rod carries the mirror obliquely to the length of the tubular structure and an outlet bore in said cranked rod being in communication with and in downwardly divergent relation to said iirst mentioned bore and directed at an angle towards and upon the refiecting surface of the mirror at a Vsubstantial distance therefrom.,l f

2. A dentists mirroras claimed in claim lwherein the valve means comprises an anvilsecuredto the tubular structure, and a movable clamping member normally biased towards the anvil to collapse the collapsible supf ply tube but accessible from the exterior of said structure y to permit the member to be moved against its bias to allow fluid ow.

l References Cited by the Esaminat-k UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,228,169 1/41 Keogh BIZ-69Y 2,779,100 l/57 Claessens '32-69 2,843,019 7,/58 Larson 88-104 2,984,009 5/61 Codoni 32-69 3,006,073 10/61 McCarter `32-69 i 3,027,644 4/62 yPiscitelli 32-69 3,032,879 5/62 Lafitte -32-69 RICVI-iARDA.V GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD' 'L HOFFMAN, JORDAN FRANKLIN, ROBERT MORGAN, Examiners. Y 

1. A DENTIST''S MIRROR COMPRISING A MIRROR, AN ELONGATED HOLLOW TUBULAR STRUCTURE HAVING A TRANSVERSELY OPERABLE VALVE MEANS, A COLLAPSIBLE SUPPLY TUBE IN THE SAID STRUCTURE PASSING THROUGH THE VALVE MEANS, A ONE-PIECE REMOVABLE HEAD HAVING AN INTERNAL BORE, AND FITTING ON SAID ELONGATED STRUCTURE FOR THE RECEPTION OF CLEANING FLUID SUPPLIED THROUGH THE COLLAPSIBLE SUPPLY TUBE, A NIPPLE ON THE HEAD THROUGH WHICH NIPPLE THE BORE PASSES AND WHICH NIPPLE IS LOCATED INTERNALLY OF THE SAID STRUCTURE, THE COLLAPSIBLE SUPPLY TUBE BEING DETACHABLY ATTACED TO THE NIPPLE, A CRANKED ROD ONE END OF WHICH IS FITTED IN THE BORE AND THE OTHER END OF WHICH CRANKED ROD CARRIES THE MIRROR ABLIQUELY TO THE LENGTH OF THE TUBULAR STRUCTURE AND AN OUTLET BORE IN SAID CRANKED ROD BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH AND IN DOWNWARDLY DIVERGENT RELATION TO SAID FIST MENTIONED BORE AND DIRECTED AT AN ANGLE TOWARDS AND UPON THE REFLECTING SURFACE OF THE MIRROR AT A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE THEREFROM. 